[OKGIS] RE: Barren Fork or Baron Fork?

[Donald Catanzaro]

Hi All,

It is my understanding is that USGS's GNIS is the one and only Federal
standard for geographic nomenclature. For an interesting historical
account and associated information see http://geonames.usgs.gov/ as
well as the USGS document Principles, Policies, and Procedures:
Domestic Geographic Names (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pppdgn.html).

There is lots of wiggle room in GNIS for settling conflicts as well as
"local usage", but if you are a fed, there is no other standard you
use GNIS. Of course the State of Oklahoma and it's legislature can
name things anything they want but this cuts both ways (ie the feds
don't have to listen and will continue to use their nomenclature).

If you really want to dig deep and resolve the conflict, there is a
process that the State can follow to either change the name or resolve
the name, it just might take a while ...

"Any conflicts noted in name usage among maps in the base series or
between one of these maps and GNIS should be brought to the attention
of the Executive Secretary, Domestic Geographic Names, U.S. Board on
Geographic Names, U.S. Geological Survey, 523 National Center, Reston,
VA 20192-0523." (from http://geonames.usgs.gov/pppdgn.html)

-Don

Don Catanzaro, PhD                     Landscape Ecologist
dgcatanzaro at gmail.com               16144 Sigmond Lane
479-751-3616                                Lowell, AR 72745